EPA Abandons Rule To Restrict Particulate Pollution That Would Have Prevented 1,000s Of Dead Americans Every Year

[hatrack]

Oh well!!

The Environmental Protection Agency is abandoning a rule that would strengthen limits on fine-particle pollution, a move scientists and experts say could lead to dirtier air and more U.S. deaths. On Monday night, the agency moved to vacate defense of the rule, which the Biden administration finalized last year, arguing that the previous administration did not have the authority to tighten it. That regulation imposed stricter standards on fine particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, including soot, which ranks as the nation’s deadliest air pollutant.

The agency argued in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the Biden-era rule was done “without the rigorous, stepwise process that Congress required,” according to the court filing. “EPA now confesses error and urges this Court to vacate the Rule before the area designation deadline” of Feb. 7.

EDIT

The stricter standards finalized under the Biden administration sought to address the pollution burden for disadvantaged communities. Under the first Trump administration, the EPA kept the level of PM2.5 at 12.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air; the Biden administration lowered the level to 9.0 micrograms. At the time, the Biden administration’s EPA estimated that the shift would prevent 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays by 2032, when the rule was slated to be fully implemented.

PM2.5, which is roughly one-thirtieth the width of a human hair, can travel through a person’s lungs and easily infiltrate the bloodstream. Exposure can trigger short-term respiratory problems such as coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing and asthma exacerbation, according to the EPA. In severe cases, fine particulates have been linked to heart attack and stroke, as well as lung cancer. Industry trade associations and attorneys general from conservative states filed a lawsuit against Biden’s EPA, stating that compliance with the tighter standard would have steep costs and burden manufacturers. Some of the major sources of the air pollutant include refineries, power plants, and cars and trucks.

EDIT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/11/25/pm25-air-pollution-rule-trump-epa/

[Irish_Dem]

1. The goal appears to be to kill as many Americans as possible.

By using quite a few strategies across the board.

Putin is thrilled. Killing Americans without firing a shot.